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We are happy to announce that we have now moved to a continuous update cycle for the Dynamics cloud platform. We will be sharing the monthly updates with you through these blogs so check back to learn about the latest updates!

This month, there are some exciting updates being delivered:

Updates - Moving to a monthly cadence and providing a simpler update process to help keep new and existing systems up to date.

Embedded Power BI reports - Licensed for all users plus there is additional functionality available with Power BI Pro licenses as well.

Build and ship workspaces with embedded Power BI reports to provide interactive and visually engaging experiences for users

Mobility – Updated the framework to support building unique online and offline experiences that now also support iOS and Android devices.

Feedback – Continue to provide your input to help us improve Dynamics 365 for Operations

Monthly updates

As you are aware, the cloud platform is locked as of update 3. Locking the platform enables rich customizations that use extensions while allowing you to make updates without costly code upgrades. Starting with update 4, the cloud platform will release monthly updates so that new and existing environments can stay up-to-date with the latest innovations with a click of a button.

To install the latest monthly platform updates on an existing environment, on http://lcs.dynamics.com go to the shared asset library and select the Software deployable package tab. You will see the platform update 4 package ready to deploy, as shown below. This package can be imported to the project’s asset library and then can be applied to a specific environment through the update flows. For more details, see the upgrade wiki.

For new environments, the topology will include update 4.

Because the platform models can’t be overlayered in Dynamics 365 for Operations version 1611, the Platform X++ Updates tile is no longer required because all the updates are binary from this release forward. For customers who are on versions prior to Dynamics 365 for Operations version 1611, you will continue to see the Platform X++ Updates tile for any customizations to the platform models.

Binary updates are cumulative, so we recommended that you always apply the latest update. You can find more details in the LCS blog.

Here's an overview of some of the other features in Dynamics 365 for Operations platform update 4.

Embedded Power BI reports licensed for all users

With Power BI Embedded, all users will be able to access rich graphical views of analytical data bundled with Dynamics 365 for Operations applications. No additional licenses will be required to access these reports, which are embedded in the Dynamics 365 for Operations application.

The existing tile pinning experience provided through PowerBI.com service integration will continue to be supported. A Pro license must be obtained separately to access some PowerBI.com functionality outside of this embedded experience.

Build and ship workspaces with embedded Power BI reports

Now you can embed full-page, Power BI-driven interactive reports in workspaces. By using rich infographics and visuals supported by Power BI (including the large number of controls provided by third parties), workspaces can provide a highly-visual yet interactive experience for the user.

If you’re a power user or business analyst, you can tweak ready-made reports or create new ones using Power BI tools. As a developer, you can use the reports developed by your users and create rich navigation experiences within the product as workspaces. If you’re in the partner and ISV community, you can now build rich workspaces with Power BI experiences and ship these workspaces as part of your solution.

If you are an ISV or a systems integrator, you can package Power BI-enabled workspaces (including navigational experiences) as part of a Lifecycle Services (LCS) solution. Your customers get the same experience without requiring a PowerBI.com subscription - it just works with Dynamics 365 for Operations.

For more details on these and other Power BI features, see the BI blog.

Mobility

We have made major strides on the mobile framework for Dynamics 365 for Operations that enables our partners to build workspaces that are unique and fully-functional mobile experiences. These new capabilities make it easier for users to interact with Dynamics 365 for Operations, both online and offline. The mobile framework now supports iOS and Android devices. You can find more details in the upcoming mobility blog.

You can now explicitly order activities in the Gantt chart. You can set the order of activities in the Gantt chart and move tasks within the same project.

Visual icons are available for tasks, such as warning or errors.

Date and time formats are now localized.

You can drag-and-drop multiple selected tasks.

A resource capacity bar clearly flags time intervals where there is overbooking.

Feedback

We always value your feedback. As part of this update, we periodically prompt you to rate your recommendation of the product. We encourage you to provide this feedback to help us continually improve your experience, including providing details on what areas we can improve.

Looking forward to seeing you next month to learn about the latest platform updates!